Dole's Tobacco Remarks Leave
Him Open to Savage Criticism

By

Timothy Noah Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Updated July 5, 1996 12:01 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON -- Bob Dole has stumbled into the hottest part of the tobacco debate.

For several weeks, the Clinton campaign has been pummeling Mr. Dole nonstop for his refusal to state unequivocally that tobacco is addictive. With President Clinton himself entering the fray this week, the Republican candidate's reluctance to wholeheartedly endorse the scientific consensus emerged as a major issue in the 1996 presidential race.